Official Game Day Thread - Winnipeg at Calgary, July 3, 2025

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Didn't Schoen's knee go sideways in Calgary? I would wait until we know more about this.

No it looked more like a hamstring pull, they weren't examining his knee and he walked off the field under his own power.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

The Elks Brinkman and Ceresna have a combined 13 DT's. Now they might be 0 - 4 after playing Ottawa this weekend, but their DL has been pretty good. Their problems are mostly on offence.

Maybe we can trade D. Mitchell back to them for Brinkman?

Some stats matter more than others, the Elks are winless and they have aprox. $825k tied up in 4 D-linemen, all 4 are on the list of top paid D-linemen.

https://3downnation.com/2025/04/18/the-cfls-15-highest-paid-defensive-linemen-for-the-2025-season/

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Did Hogan intend to run 100% Collaros from day one?

I was under the impression that Streveler would get some packages, and I think CGY really exposed Collaros badly where Streveler might have put them off kilter a bit.

I'm not saying that the last drive with Streveler and Wallace in at G means we should start that alignment, that was a garbage time prevent beating drive. 

But bringing in Streve on short yardage and leaving him in for a few extra downs on tempo so the D can't get thier heavies off the field is something I really expected to see this year.

Sure hope not, was expecting more variation from the offence this season, not less.  One problem hiring young inexperienced coaches from within, they remain fully under MOS's thumb.  Hopefully Jarious Jackson can persuade them to be more creative and loose with their QB deployment.  Same goes for RB management, want to see more use of Peterson throughout the game.

[Blue In BC]

Some stats matter more than others, the Elks are winless and they have aprox. $825k tied up in 4 D-linemen, all 4 are on the list of top paid D-linemen.

https://3downnation.com/2025/04/18/the-cfls-15-highest-paid-defensive-linemen-for-the-2025-season/

Sure and we have D.Mitchell and J. Jones earning nearly $300K sitting on the 1 game IR not injured. Ceresna is earning about the same as Mitchell. Which would you rather have?

[J5V]

Sure hope not, was expecting more variation from the offence this season, not less.

This. So much this. Lapo was so predictable. Buck learned from Lapo and was in some ways worse for predictability.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Sure and we have D.Mitchell and J. Jones earning nearly $300K sitting on the 1 game IR not injured. Ceresna is earning about the same as Mitchell. Which would you rather have?

That's a hypothetical question, Mitchell was available, Ceresna was not. Ceresna was going back to Edmonton even though the Argos offered him more money to stay, his mind was already made up.

[Pete]

This game was a classic example of what happens when one team comes in ready to play and the other doesn't. The penalties and execution are examples of this. I think we went in thinking that we were much better than Calgary.
If there's anything to get from this game its the following
1.  I mentioned this in another thread but when we try to go with a short passing game which we did for most of the first half, we do very poorly.
2. Our dline isn't good enough especially with only rotating 5 players
3. Bridges continues to bite on the fake going long and coming back, Calgary picked up on this.
4. When we blitz the crossing routes are wide open I don't know if its the scheme or personnel issue
5. Calgary took away the longer routes and were content letting us throw underneath and coming up to make  the play knowing they have time to react as Zacs arm isn't strong enough to get the ball faster to the receiver or our receivers not quick enough to make them pay
Two picks were direct result of defenders playing off the receiver and closing in to make a play on the ball
Hopefully the coaching staff can make the adjustments (maybe we need to bring in an exstampeder to help) We got out coached in that game as Calgary had an excellent game plan

[Jesse]

But bringing in Streve on short yardage and leaving him in for a few extra downs on tempo so the D can't get thier heavies off the field is something I really expected to see this year.

We've done it multiple times.

[The Zipp]

We've done it multiple times.

and it rarely gets many positive yards...mostly has wasted a down. 

[Doublezero]

. QB management is looking like a weakness again, Strev can't be happy with that decision and Wilson looks like he could be a forgotten project that fades away to nothing. 

Collaros has an overall winning record for us but his decline began in 2023 and you'd think coaching would begin to prepare for succession. Two pick sixes vs Stamps. In the last three Grey Cups zero touchdowns and six interceptions. Yet Bombers brass adds another year to his current $600K contract. Bombers will be lucky to be a .500 team at this rate.

[Jesse]

Collaros has an overall winning record for us but his decline began in 2023 and you'd think coaching would begin to prepare for succession. Two pick sixes vs Stamps. In the last three Grey Cups zero touchdowns and six interceptions. Yet Bombers brass adds another year to his current $600K contract. Bombers will be lucky to be a .500 team at this rate.

At the rate of 3-1?

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Collaros has an overall winning record for us but his decline began in 2023 and you'd think coaching would begin to prepare for succession. Two pick sixes vs Stamps. In the last three Grey Cups zero touchdowns and six interceptions. Yet Bombers brass adds another year to his current $600K contract. Bombers will be lucky to be a .500 team at this rate.

Do you see Davis Alexander on our roster?

[blue_gold_84]

Collaros has an overall winning record for us but his decline began in 2023 and you'd think coaching would begin to prepare for succession. Two pick sixes vs Stamps. In the last three Grey Cups zero touchdowns and six interceptions. Yet Bombers brass adds another year to his current $600K contract. Bombers will be lucky to be a .500 team at this rate.

**looks at Collaros' stats from 2023**
12-4 record, 4200+ passing yards, 33 TDs (led the league), 112.8 QBR, division all-star

That's some decline!

This post is a really solid example of cherry picking.

And then to claim this team will be lucky to be .500 because of that self-inflicted logical fallacy is just priceless.

[Doublezero]

**looks at Collaros' stats from 2023**
12-4 record, 4200+ passing yards, 33 TDs (led the league), 112.8 QBR, division all-star

That's some decline!

This post is a really solid example of cherry picking.

And then to claim this team will be lucky to be .500 because of that self-inflicted logical fallacy is just priceless.

Great receivers can help mask the fact that a QB is in decline. Despite the very obvious fact that ZC mostly throws inaccurate wobblers - his passes still ended up being caught by Lawler and Schoen - they caught 16 of the 33 TDs you mention. But Schoen obviously is not, post-injury, where he was in 22/23 and Lawler is gone and catching passes from BLM. So Collaros's inadequacies are further exposed. Also, Bombers pass pro has looked shaky past couple years. ZC has always tended to take time going through his progressions but, pressured, he then panics and forces the throw which often ends up in the arms of an opponent. Look at his TD/INT ratio last 20 games - I won't even mention the Grey Cup fiascos. Bombers brass seem to have decided they can live with this. But as a fan I have every right to call them out on it.

[bomb squad]

Great receivers can help mask the fact that a QB is in decline. Despite the very obvious fact that ZC mostly throws inaccurate wobblers - his passes still ended up being caught by Lawler and Schoen - they caught 16 of the 33 TDs you mention. But Schoen obviously is not, post-injury, where he was in 22/23 and Lawler is gone and catching passes from BLM. So Collaros's inadequacies are further exposed. Also, Bombers pass pro has looked shaky past couple years. ZC has always tended to take time going through his progressions but, pressured, he then panics and forces the throw which often ends up in the arms of an opponent. Look at his TD/INT ratio last 20 games - I won't even mention the Grey Cup fiascos. Bombers brass seem to have decided they can live with this. But as a fan I have every right to call them out on it.

You do. I do think it's fair to wonder if there has been a decline, but it's still too early to declare it. He still shows a lot of the Collaros we've come to know and appreciate here.  Bottom line is we're still in a pretty good position as far as starting qb goes in this league. Who's hands down better right now? Anderson and Rourke definitely have more upside. Otherwise, nobody.

Let me ask you this though: What should the Bomber Brass do about it? Play Streveler? Wilson? And don't go backwards to Brown please. That ship has sailed.